Tank



Jan. 18, 1927.

- A. A. KRAMER TANK Filed July 5. 1925 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Jan.,j 18, 1927.

UNITED STATES ANDREW A. KRAMER, or KANSAS CITY, mssounr.

TANK.

Application filed July 3, 1925. Serial No. 41,269.

This invention relates to tanks for use in conveying and dispensing liquids, particularly volatile liquids such as gasoline, and has reference more particularly to the parts employed in withdrawing the liquid or a definite quantity of the liquid from the interior 1 of -the tank. The invention is directed to the provision'of an improved construction which -is more satisfactory in its operation than those heretofore provided for the purpose, which employs a siphon action in withdrawing the liquid from the tank and by which all or practically all of the liquid in the tank or in a compartment ofthe tank may be withdrawn therefrom before the siphon. action ceases as a result of breaking the siphon. In tanks of this character it has been common heretofore to provide an outlet opening fromthe tank or from each of several compartments into which the tank is divided, located at the bottom ofthe tank or the tank compartment and adapted to be opened or closed by a valve. When such a construction is employed in combination with a siphon pipe extending up above the top of the tank, the operation of Withdrawing the liq-' uid from the tank may be prevented by breaking the siphon, while a substantial quantity of the liquid still remains Within the tank. I havefound that this very undesirable result may be avoided by a reconstruction and rearrangement of the parts employed, including a siphon pipe which extends down through the tankinto a sump provided in the bottom wall of the tank and A further improvement'involves the provision of means for preventing swirling of the liquid within the tank resulting from the continued flow'of the liquid from the tank out through the outlet devices. When such 1 develop to such an extent as to allow air to a swirling occurs it becomes more and more pronounced as the operation continues, and while a considerable amount of liquid still remain within the tank, this swirling may enter the lower end of the outlet pipe, whereupon the siphon action is immediately discontinued.

In order to guard against this I provide on the siphon pipe near its lower end a plate orrlisc which, by reason of its size and positlon, prevents swirling of the liquid to such extent as would result in premature breaking of the siphon.

The preferred embodiment of the inventlon is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is an elevation of a compartment tank embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged View in vertical cross-section.

Referring to these drawings, 4 indicates a tank preferably of oval cross-section mounted on the chassis 5 of an automobile truck.

a The tank 4 is divided by vertical partition plates 6 into a plurality of tank compartments any one of which may have the liquid withdrawn therefrom independently of the others. The wrapper sheet of each tank compartment is formed as best shown in Fig. 2

to provide a sump 7 at the bottom thereof and a siphon pipe 8 for the withdrawal of the liquid extends down into this sump.

Preferably the siphon pipe 8 is disposed vertically and extends across the tank compartment and through an opening in-the top wall thereof. Thisopening in the top wall of the Wrapper sheet is of a size to receive one member 9 of a bell whose lower end is closed about the upper end of the pipe 8. The upper member '10 of the bell is in the formof a c'ap secured upon the lower member 9 and enclosing the upper end of'pipe 8.

The extreme upper end of pipe 8 constitutes the seat for avalve 11 carried by a cage 12 which is secured upon the end of pipe 8. The valve is normally pressed toward its seat by a spring 13 coiled about the stem 14 of the valve. This stem extends through the upper end of the cage and-through an'opening in the member 10 where suitable stufiing is provided at 15 to prevent leakage at this point. The upper end of the stem 14 coacts with suitable mechanism for lifting the valve from its seat against the tension of spring 13.

The lower end of the member 9 of the bell has a pipe 16 leading therefromto a pipe 17 which extends through all of the partition plates 6 to the can compartment 18 at' the rearof the. tank structure. The bell of each compartment is connected by sucha pipe 16 to'the longitudinal pipe 17. Any

suitable meansmay be provided for starting 'any desired compartment.

of the several valves 11 and opening that selected valve so as to withdraw liquid from This selective valvemechanism may be of any suitable construction such for instance as that disclosed in an application for patent filed by Ralph D. George on April 18, 1924, and serially numbered 7 07,40

The selective valve operating mechanism shown in that application includes a shaft 22 extending lengthwise of the tank and supported in suitable brackets on the tank wall. This shaft is provided with a handle 23 at its rear end by which the shaft may be moved lengthwise and also given a movement of rotation. Spaced lengthwise along the shaft are operating arms 24, onefor each of the si hon control valves 11.

The arms 24 are disposed at such spacing along the shaft that when the shaft ismoved so that. one of the arms 24 is in engagement with the operating arm 25 connected to the stem of one of the siphon valves 11, the other 1 arms 24 will be outof engagement with the operating arms of the other valves. Ac-

' cordingly, by'moving the shaft lengthwise to 'the desired position, and then rotating the shaft, -any selected valve 11 on the tank may'be opened. In order to facilitate the selecting operation, and; 26 is disposed in the cancompartment having a row of apertures into which the handle 23 may be placed. These apertures are arranged to correspond in posltion to the operating positions of the arms 24 associated with the different siphon valves, so that any selected valve may be opened by moving the shaft 22 lengthwise untilthe, handle 23 is opposite the proper recess and then by moving the handle to rotate the shaft until the handle enters the recess.

On the pipe 8 in each of the several-tank compartments and near the lower end of that pipe is secured a late 20 whose function is to prevent aswirling motion of the liquid within the tank compartment or reduce such swirling movement to negligible proportions. Preferably this plate of an its With a tank so constructed and all of the valves 11 in the closed position, held there by their springs, th e several tank compartments are effectually closed against leakage from the tank as a whole and against leakage fr'om one compartment into another.' At

.any time when it is desired to withdraw liquid from any selected compartment, the operator manipulates the valve mechanism to select the valve of the desired compartment and to lift that valve from its seat against the tension of spring 13. If the compartment is nearly full, the liquid then stands within the pipe 8 of that compartment at a level but little below the valve 11-. To start the outflow of the liquid, suction is applied to the liquid in the pipe 8 sufficient to raise it beyond the valve seat, whereupon it passes out through the openings in the cage 12 and fills the interior of the enclosing bell and the branch pipe 16.

This maybe done by manual manipulation of a pump such as that shown at 19. llhen the flow is started in this way it is continued by a siphon action, the liquid preferably flowing through a by-pass around the pump 19 to any suitable outlet pipe or hose 21. At any time the operation may be discontinued by the operator releasing the further that these valves 11 are the only 1 ,valves controlling the outlet of liquid from the compartments. In other. words, there "'is' no opening in any of the valve compartments, controlled by a valve or otherwise,

located below the level of the liquid in the I compartments when the latter are full. Therefore, the possibility of leakage from the tank as a whole or from one compartment into another resulting from a leaky valve or from any similar cause is reduced to a minimum.

Notwithstanding this location of the several valves, the withdrawal of liquid from the compartments is an exceedingly simple 7 operation, involving merely the raising of the liquid in the pipe 8 within which it rises a few inches to carry it out through the valve 10 and into the bell 9, whereupon the outflow of the liquid proceeds by siphon action.

I claim: v 1. The combination with a tank, of a discharge mechanism therefor comprising a pipe communicating atits lower end with the interior of the tank at a point near the bottom thereof and extending up to a point above the top of the tank, a valve for automatically obstructing the flow of fluid situated in the pipe near the upper end thereof, a pipe extending from the upper end of said pipe to a oint below the bottom of thetank whereb t 1e contents of the tank may be dis charge by a siphon action, and means outside the tank and said pipes for operating the valve to move it from its seat.

2. The combination with a tank, of a discharge mechanism therefor comprising a sump at the bottom of the tank, a pipe having its lower end entering the sump and extending upwardly therefrom across the tank to a point above the top of the tank, a valve for automatically obstructing the fiow of fluid, situated in said pipe adjacent to the upper end thereof, a second pipe extending from the upper end of said pipe to a point below the bottom of the tank whereby the contents of the tank may be discharged by siphon action, and means for moving the valve from its seat from the exterior of the tank. I

\ 3. The combination with a tank, of a discharge mechanism therefor comprising a pipecommunicating with the interior of the tank near the bottom thereof and extending to a point above the top of the tank, a valve in the pipe near the upper end thereof and means for causing the valve to normally assume a closed position, a bell extending over the upper end of the pipe, a pipe extending from the bell to a point below the bottom of the'tank, and means for operating said valve from outside the tanki 4. The combination with a tank, of a discharge mechanism therefor comprising the combination of a pipe open at its lower end to the interior "of the tank near the bottom thereof and extending up to a point above the top of the tank, a valve in the pipe near the upper end thereof, a two-part bell enclosing the upper end of the pipe and having its lower part mounted in the top wall of the tank and its upper part secured to the lower part, a pipe extending a from the bell to a point below the bottom of the tank and ,means operable from outside the tank for moving the said valve from its seat.

5'. The combination with a tank, of a discharge'mechanism therefor comprising the combination of a pipe open at its lower end and extending from'a point within the tank near the bottom thereof to a point above the top of the tank, a valve for automaticallyobstructing the flow through the pipe, a second pipe extending. from the upper end of said pipe to a point below the bottom of the tank, means for operating said valve and means within the tank adjacent to the lower end of the first mentioned pipe for preventing swirling of the liquid within the tank.

6. The combination with a tank, of a discharge mechanism therefor comprising a sump at the bottom of the tank, a pipe having its lower end open and entering the sump, a plate secured upon the pipe near the lower end thereof for preventing swirling of the liquid within the tank, a valve in the pipe near the upper end thereof, a bell enclosing the upper end of the pipe, a pipe extending from the bell to a point below the bottom of the tank and means for operating the valve from the exterior of the tank.

7. The combination of a tank, vertical partitions therein dividing the tank into a plurality of compartments which have no openings therein except at the top, a pipe ex tending down into each compartment from the top thereof to a point nearthe bottom, a valve for automatically obstructing the flow through each of said pipes and located above the level of the liquid in the compartment controlled by that valve when the compartment is. full and means for discharging liquid from any compartment through said pipe thereof by siphon action.

8. The combination of a tank, vertical partifions therein dividing the tank into a plurality of compartments which have no openings therein except at the top, a pipe ex tending down into 'each compartment from the top thereof to a point near the bottom, a valve controlling the flow through each of said pipes and located above the level of the liquid in, the compartment controlled by 10. A multi-compartmental tank, a sump in each compartment, an opening in the to of each compartment, a bell mounted in eac of said openings, a pipe leading from within each of said sumps to each of the bells, a common discharge means, a pipe connecting each of said bells with said discharge means, a valve for each compartment seating in the end of one,of said pipes leading into thebell of the respective compartment, a suction pump for starting siphonic action through the system of pipes, and means .for opening and closing any one of the several valves.

In testimony whereof I'affix my signature.

ANDREW A. KRAMER. 

